The 2011 Jewelry Collection has been posted in the Amigami Gallery! All of the pieces feature natural semi-precious stones and are designed with the warm upcoming days of Spring in mind. And of course, many of these pieces are currently available in my Etsy shop!

Amigami has been very busy over the holiday season and new year, and I can’t thank all my wonderful friends and customers enough. The local auctions and eBay sales have been a complete success, and it has granted me the opportunity to expand more into the medium of stone jewelry, which is an area of design I absolutely love.

The beginning of the 2011 Jewelry Line is already up, and can be viewed in full at the Amigami Etsy Shop. And of course, I will be showcasing pieces on the website regularly, so check back soon and often for updates.

This Christmas we made several gifts for our friends, but the most exciting was what has been lovingly dubbed “The Rasta Scarf.” Using the Catherine Wheel method and heavy gauge worsted acrylic yarn, this GIANT scarf is over 9 feet long!! The picture doesn’t even do it justice, and it was near impossible to take of picture of it stretched, but I hope to get the owner to model it in a picture for me soon.

An antique adjustable Burglar Alarm, made by the American Keyless Lock Co. - now available on eBay!

As the holidays draw near, it can only mean one thing … shopping! And so we here at Amigami have been scouring the local auctions to find the best rare vintage items. I love going to auctions – the atmosphere and excitement is unmatchable. And our local auctioneer, Jim Frio, does an excellent job of orchestrating the event.

An antique Brass Makeup Compact - check out more views of this item on Etsy!

We’ve been hard at work getting all these wonderful items ready for sale, and they are currently being posted on eBay and Etsy. The majority of i

We shopped the auctions with the holidays in mind, and many of these lotsare ideal as gifts for the antique collector in your life. Please, feel free to peruse our listings, and by all means, place a bid!

Upon searching the Ravelry pattern databases for fun scarf ideas, I came across a technique known as the Catherine Wheel, which creates a wonderfully eye-catching pattern. The pinwheel effect is achieved by mirroring two rows of bunched crochet stitches, with narrow intermediary segments which are shaped by subsequent rows, forming this wave-like design. It’s also very practical – the bunches become epicenters of warmth which shield against even the sharpest winter winds.

For these reasons, alpaca was the ideal material for me to create the Amigami Pinwheel Scarf. The yarn used to craft this piece was created entirely from animals living in the Upper Ohio Valley regions of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, on farms we know personally. My partner Ramon was the shearer responsible for collecting the raw fiber from these animals, and the white and two-tone yarns were handspun by the animals’ owners. From hoof to hand, this beautiful scarf is the epitome of regional handmade crafts, and is truly a must-have for any winter wardrobe. And lucky for you, they are available in my Etsy shop!

From the same skeins I’ve also created these ultra-warm Hexagon Slippers, named for the 6 sided panels which are used to form the shoes. The three hexagons, stitched together in the center, are then stitched around a double thick sole, creating a durable and comfortable cushion for your foot. I need to work with adjusting the sizing on these slippers before they are ready for sale, but if you are interested in some let me know and we can get started on a custom order.

The Amys in the Arts Etsy Street Team is celebrating the start of the new school year by offering Free Worldwide Shipping on purchases from our members’ Etsy shopfronts during August 22-28. This is your opportunity to finally get that item you’ve been thinking about for so long. The Amys in the Arts blog will also be full of fun memories & stories about School & education, so make sure to check it out!

This is hopefully only the first of many in a very special series of crochet work. My partner Ramon travels the countryside each spring shearing alpacas, and a few weeks ago he returned with some of the fruits of his labor.

Mother Rasha & cria Morningstar, donors for the White fiber in this hat!

Amongst his clients is Vision Acres Ranch of Berkeley Country, West Virginia. After the 2009 shearing season, Judy of Vision Acres began processing this high-quality alpaca fiber into exquisite hand-spun dual-toned yarn. And it’s not just the dual coloring which makes this yarn unique – it is composed of 100% Suri Alpaca fiber.

Suris, unlike their more popular fluffy Huacaya counterparts, feature fiber which forms natural locks, giving the final product an altogether different consistency and feel than your standard alpaca fiber. Thank you to the Judy & everyone at Vision Ares Ranch for caring for these beautiful animals & creating the yarn, as well as to Ramon for shearing the alpacas and for bringing me spoils.

The hat is created using a modified version of a stylish beanie pattern I found in the Ravelry databases. Unbelievably soft & warm, it’s also extremely breathable, making this hat a great year-round accessory. Accented by a large natural-colored button I found in my mother’s vintage sewing supplies, this luxurious hat has certainly been given the personal touch from start to finish.